We're a couple games past the halfway mark for the conference season so it's a good time to take a look around the conferences to see how the races for conference titles and tournament byes are going.

ASC- At 10-0 #18 Hardin-Simmons (sublightd) has been in the driver's seat so far. They have two dangerous games left including at Austin and a huge battle with second place #9 Howard Payne (aggiegeog). Howard Payne is only one game back in the division so that game could decide first place. Over in the West #23 Texas Lutheran (blapo21) is 8-2 and two games clear of the sims.

Capital- Not a lot of excitement here as 10-0 Catholic (shineenihs) probably has first place in the North all but wrapped up since they're two games ahead of the nearest sim. Same story in the South where 8-2 St. Mary's of Maryland (tardhesticle) is three games ahead of its nearest sim.

Centennial- Here we have two ranked teams undefeated in conference play who have their divisions pretty much sewn up. #16 Ursinus (barjaz) and #21 Dickinson (mfnmyers) play their only match up of the season in a couple days to decide who will finish with the better (probably undefeated) record.

CUNY- At 11-0 Staten Island (scuba1253) has already clinched the West while 8-1 Brooklyn (SimAI) currently leads the East by one game.

CCIW- Northland (raucous) is 10-1 and leading the South, their only loss being in OT to second place Martin Luther (kgilman18). These two have one game against each other remaining but Martin Luther is two games back so they'll need help to catch Northland. Over in the North, Illinois Wesleyan (bunting10) is 8-2 and one game ahead of a sim.

Coast- Colby-Sawyer (irishdomer) is 10-0 and is in good position to stay perfect in the conference while winning the East. They've already beaten 10-1 Wentworth Tech (chewchad) who has a one game lead on a sim in the West.

Commonwealth- Another conference with two undefeated teams, #4 Elizabethtown (mts2) and #11 Penn St. Altoona (frankgrimes1) are both 10-0 and leading their respective divisions. Elizabethtown has a four game lead on a sim so they should be in the clear while Penn St. Altoona is only two games ahead of #7 Susqeuhanna. Those two play one more game and then Penn St. Altoona and Elizabeth have their cross-divisional game the next day so the South is still up for grabs.

Empire- #5 Vassar (theriddler) is 11-0 and a game ahead of #19 Utica (doc00017) at 9-1. They play their second match up in a few days but Vassar would hold the tie-breaker so Utica will need some help to finish first. Over in the North, Nazareth is 7-3 and winning the race of the sims.

Freedom- At 11-0 Scranton (jpgerstu) is running the table but only has a one game lead on sim-controlled Carnegie Mellon with one game between the two remaining. On the other side, 8-2 DeSales has a three game lead on the other sims.

GNE- #17 Johnson and Wales (spasticity) is 9-1 and holds a two game lead in the East with a couple difficult games left on the schedule. In the West, Rivier (jack_duck) is now 8-2 and just barely ahead of #14 W. New England (rednu) at 8-3. With all the quality in this conference, both races are far from over.

Heartland- Defiance (nm1brownsfan) is at 8-1 and is one game ahead of simmed Anderson. Over in the South it's a two-sim race between Mt. St. Joseph and Westminster who both have two losses.

Iowa- The two humans in this conference are undefeated in conference play and leading their divisions easily. 10-0 #3 Buena Vista (westcoast22) and 11-0 Simpson (dshook30) play each other the next last day of the season to determine bragging rights.

Little East- 9-1 Umass Dartmouth (pureh21) has a two game lead in the East while 9-1 Fitchburg St (jjhoops13) is tied at the top of the West with sim-controlled Framingham St.

(Wow, there sure are a lot of conferences. This just keeps going.)

Michigan- 11-0 Eureka (usjgt) is three games clear of sims in the West with their most challenging game left being a trip to Calvin. Over in the East, Hope (burninblunts) is 9-1 and has a two game lead over Kalamazoo and Calvin.

Midwest- Sim-controlled Beloit is leading the North by two games with a 9-1 record while 9-2 Rose-Hulman Tech (strang) is two games clear of the sims in the South.

Minnesota- Another simmy St. Scholastica is 10-1 and has a one game lead in the West while 9-1 Hamline (foofighter13) is atop the East by two games. Mmmmmmm ham.

NESCAC- Both divisions have an unbeaten leader who is three games clear of the pack. #12 Tufts (zmark513) are 11-0 in the South and #20 Connecticut are 10-0 in the North. These two meet up in a couple days to see who stays perfect.

New Jersey- Both divisions here are in the middle of close races. Sim-controlled William Paterson and D'Youville are both 9-2 and battling it out for the South. Over in the North, 7-3 Montclair St. (bigpapamatt) and 6-3 Ramapo (pgj930) are fighting for the top spot. Those last two play in the last game of the season so it should be a good finish.

North Atlantic- Johnson St. (yomomma8588) is 10-1 and tied with 9-1 Castleton St. for the lead in the North. Their second game in a couple days should decide the division title. Meanwhile in the South, simmed 8-2 Thomas is a game ahead of fellow sim Maine Maritime Academy.

(Finally, the super cool conference that everyone has been waiting for)

NCAC- As usual, 10-1 Denison (dereksilcox) is atop the East with a two game lead on the sims. It's much more interesting in the West where 9-1 Ohio Wesleyan (otownaron) is one game ahead of everyone's favorite, 8-2 Wooster (pseudochamp). The division title will probably be settled on the last day of the season when these two teams meet for their rematch. I think we all know who everyone will be rooting for.

Northwest- #15 Willamette (bullman17) is 10-1 and has a two game lead in the West. Over in the East, 9-1 simmed George Fox has things wrapped up with a four game lead on the other sims.

Ohio- #13 John Carroll is perfect at 10-0 and is leading the North by two games while 10-1 Otterbein (billscnb) has a three game lead in the South.

ODAC- 11-0 Virginia Wesleyan is four games ahead of the sims in the West and looks to have things wrapped up. Things aren't as settled in the East where 10-0 #8 Emory and Henry has a one game advantage on 9-1 Lynchburg with a game between them remaining on the last day of the schedule.

Penn- Sim-controlled Cabrini is 9-1 and two games clear in the sim-filled North. Another sim, Clark, is challenging for the South and is tied at 8-3 with Babson (hgq2112). Those two play on the last day of the season too.

Skyline- 10-1 Mount St. Mary (bstevens07) has a two game lead in the East over Centenary (pdub5813). It's a little closer in the West with 9-1 US Merchant Marines (lynchmob1414) holding a slim lead on 9-2 #25 Old Westbury (tubby13). These two have their second game in a couple days to decide the division.

So. Cal.- 10-1 CSU Eastbay (cstruck23) and 9-1 #22 Whittier (windixies) are tied atop the South with 9-2 #24 Colorado (bdpoor) just one game behind. There are two games left in this round-robin so the division is still up for grabs. Simmed 7-2 CMHMS has it easier in the North with a two game lead on Occidental (halfakracka).

St. Louis- Webster (mschulte24) is 11-0 and looks in control of the West once again while sim-controlled Principia is 9-2 and leading the sims in the East.

SUNY- 9-0 SUNY Cortland (cuck) is leading the sims in the East by just one game with one game against second-place Brockport remaining. Over in the West, simmed SUNY Oswego is 10-1 and two games clear of the other sims.

(Finally done with the S's, I'm getting tired.)

University- #1 Millsaps (brianxavier) is 10-1 and holds a two game lead in the East. The only team to beat Millsaps, 10-1 #6 Trinity is leading the West, also by two games.

Upstate- Here we have an undefeated simmy as 10-0 Case Western Reserve is three games clear in the South while a much less impressive 6-4 Hobart and William Smith has a slim one game lead on the other sims in the North.

USA South- 11-0 #2 Greensboro (tilldog28) is two games ahead in the East and looks to be in control. Over in the West, Shenandoah (zagman73) and N. Carolina Wesleyan (nastynick60) are both 8-3 and play each other in the last game of the season for the division.

Wisconsin- 11-0 #10 Wisconsin Superior (cbryant31) has things pretty much wrapped up in the South with a four game lead over Concordia (bk41129). Meanwhile, two sims battle it out for the North with Wisconsin Eau Claire at 9-2 and Wisconsin Oshkosh at 8-2.

Good luck the rest of the way to everyone fighting for a conference title.

Last Night#10 John Carroll 86 Capital 77
John Carroll was able to lock down the defense late hold on for the 9 point victory and the season sweep of Capital. John Carroll and whit6r got some very balanced scoring with four of five starters in double figures, and with the win the move up three spots in the rankings and pretty much wrap up a division title. At least Capital and buckeye bested their opponent in one category by having all five of their starters in double figures. Call it a moral victory.

Sim blowout watch: Widener couldn't keep #13 Penn St. Altoona away from the century mark but still covered 61-102 and all three of the 40+ spread crew covered by similar amounts: Keuka at #6 Vassar 59-97, Lincoln at #17 Ursinus 48-85, and La Roche at #4 Elizabethtown 66-90.

GotN#17 Ursinus (19-3)(barjaz) at #23 Dickinson (19-3)(mfnmyers)
Both teams are ranked, they both have the same record, and they're both undefeated in Centennial conference play at 12-0. They'll battle tonight to see who can finish the season perfect in the conference and lay claim to Centennial bragging rights.

Also considered: #5 Trinity at Southwestern, Virginia Wesleyan at #9 Emory and Henry, S. Vermont at #12 W. New England, and #22 Old Westbury at Mount St. Mary

Sim blowout watch: Rochester Tech is getting 57 point while hosting #6 Vassar and Mississippi College is a 49 point road dog at #2 Buena Vista.

Finally missed a day this season, sorry about that. Feel free to pretend that I'm working extra hard on today's post to make up for it.

Two Nights Ago#13 Ursinus 103 Dickinson 87
After a pretty close first half, Ursinus was able to run out to a ten-ish point lead early in the second and held on to it the rest of the way. Thanks to both teams playing uptempo, Ursinus and barjaz had three players scoring 20+. They move up a few spots in the rankings and more importantly look to be in good position for a fifth straight undefeated conference season. Dickinson and mfnmyers fall out of the rankings but they still have a three game lead in the division standings and are in good shape for the post-season.

Also considered: #4 Trinity got a controversial and-1 with four seconds left to nip Southwestern 64-63, #8 Emory and Henry got by Virginia Wesleyan 73-66, #19 W. New England held on against S. Vermont 71-68, and #20 Old Westbury downed Mount St. Mary 82-74.

Sim blowout watch: Rochester Tech covered against #6 Vassar 73-103 but Mississippi College became another official blowout victim to #3 Buena Vista 57-115.

Last Night#16 Howard Payne 72 #12 Hardin-Simmons 83
Hardin-Simmons pulled away late to finish off an 11 point victory and stay undefeated in the American Southwest conference. Hardin-Simmons and sublightd were led by Joseph Koss' 20 points and now two games ahead in their division. Howard Payne and aggiegeog suffer their second loss in the conference, both to H-S, but look to have second place and a conference tourney bye wrapped up.

Also considered: #10 Tufts stays undefeated in conference play with a 76-69 win over #22 Connecticut and #11 Willamette clinches their conference title by sinking a go-ahead jumpshot with six seconds left to beat E. Oregon 64-63.

Sim blowout watch: Central became yet another blowout victim by failing to cover the 61 point spread at #3 Buena Vista 55-122 while Widener barely avoided the same fate thanks to just covering the 60 point spread against #4 Elizabethtown 65-111.

GotN#17 Utica (20-2)(doc00017) at #6 Vassar (22-1)(theriddler)
Tonight, Utica will attempt to avenge an earlier home loss to Vassar and pull into a tie for the division lead with a win. doc will also be going for his first regular season victory over theriddler after a pile of only losses. With a win Vassar will get the season sweep of Utica, clinch a conference title, and be in position to go undefeated in the Empire 8 for a second straight year.

Also considered: #15 Penn St. Altoona at #7 Susquehanna, #12 Hardin-Simmons at Austin, Emory at #4 Trinity, Emmanuel at #19 W. New England, US Merchant Marines at #20 Old Westbury

Sim blowout watch: Bridgewater is getting 61 points hosting #8 Emory and Henry and Heidelberg is a 53 point road dog at #9 John Carroll.

Last Night#21 Utica 75 #5 Vassar 89
After a very close first half, Vassar was able to build up a double digit lead in the second and then maintain it the through to the end. Vassar got pretty balanced scoring with five players in double digits and Howard Marshall leading with 21. With the victory, Vassar and theriddler move up a spot in the rankings, clinch a conference title, and are two wins away from another perfect conference record. Utica was led in scoring by the wonderfully named Leslie Schmucker who had 18 points. Utica slides down to #21 in the rankings and will have to settle for second place in the division and look forward to another chance for revenge in the conference tourney.

Also considered: #14 Penn St. Altoona clinched a division title by downing #9 Susquehanna 51-49, wrapping up the win with a key steal with one second left on the clock, #8 Hardin-Simmons stayed perfect in the conference and sealed a division title by crushing Austin 117-63, Emory surprised #6 Trinity 77-66, #17 W. New England slipped by Emmanuel 59-56, and in easily the most entertaining game of the night #18 Old Westbury outlasted US Merchant Marines in triple overtime 120-111.

Sim blowout watch: Bridgewater easily covered against #7 Emory and Henry 56-103 as did Heidelberg at #10 John Carroll 61-87.

GotN#4 Elizabethtown (21-2)(mts2) at #14 Penn St. Altoona (21-2)(frankgrimes1)
Here we have another game between ranked division leaders with undefeated conference records in a marquee match up to see who can finish the season with a perfect conference run. These two will fight it out for Commonwealth conference bragging rights and the odds-makers have it dead even as a pick. Also, mts is looking for his first regular season win over frank in six tries. How about we go triple overtime?

Also considered: #15 Johnson and Wales at #17 W. New England and #6 Trinity at Centre

Sim blowout watch: A lot of teams taking the night off tonight so not many crazy spreads. Pacific Lutheran is getting 35 hosting #13 Willamette and Concordia Austin is a 34 point road dog at #25 Texas Lutheran.

Last Night#6 Elizabethtown 40 #7 Penn St. Altoona 59
Penn St. Altoona locked down the defense at the end of the first half and built up a 13 point lead at the break. They were able to cruise in the second half maintaining the lead and finishing off an impressive win. Penn St. Altoona and frankgrimes are now two Sims away from another perfect conference run and jumped all the way up to #7 after this victory. Elizabethtown and mts suffer their first conference loss of the season but only slipped a couple spots in the rankings.

Also considered: #15 W. New England ran away from #19 Johnson and Wales in the second half to win 71-54 and #5 Trinity got a game winning shot from Reginald Davis with two seconds left to spoil a huge comeback in the last few minutes by Centre, 70-69.

GotN#3 Buena Vista (23-1)(westcoast22) at Simpson (21-4)(dshook30)
Time for yet another clash between division leaders with undefeated conference records. Buena Vista is looking to defend their top three ranking and move one win away from their fourth perfect conference run in the last five years. Simpson is a four point underdog at home where dshook is looking for a first victory over westcoast in five tries.

Also considered: Otterbein at #11 John Carroll, Suffolk at #19 Johnson and Wales, and Rivier at Emmanuel

Sim blowout watch: Averett is getting a big 71 points on their trip to #2 Greensboro, Washington and Jefferson is a 50 point dog at home to #8 Emory and Henry, and in a sim-on-sim special Skidmore is getting 65 points hosting fellow sim #25 Case Western.

Looking at your schedule, I see that Willamette was 2-11 against the spread vs Sim teams this season. While it's true that's not a great record, you certainly covered those 9 and 6 point spreads like a champ so you have that going for you.

You want to talk about embarrassing, I lost to a Sim by 1 point last night to fall out of the top 25 and tumble down the projection report. At home. On two go-ahead free throws by the other team with six seconds left. After one of my guys had missed the front end of a one-and-one the previous possession.

Maybe that could be a new section of the daily write up next season, Stomach-Punch Sim Victory of the Night.

Last Night#3 Buena Vista 84 Simpson 69
Buena Vista jumped out to an early lead and kept pouring on the points to never let Simpson back in the game. They had four starters in double figures and shot 56% from the floor for a dominant performance. Buena Vista and westcoast hold firm at #3 in the rankings and just need to beat up on another sim tonight for a perfect conference record. Simpson and dshook suffer their first conference loss of the year and will have to hope they can seek revenge in the conference tourney.

Also considered: #8 John Carroll stays perfect in the conference by downing Otterbein 74-56, Johnson and Wales came at Suffolk like spider monkeys and won 83-64, and Rivier kept their hopes of a division title alive with an overtime victory over Emmanuel 62-59.

Sim blowout watch: Averett covered at #2 Greensboro 66-100, as did Washington and Jefferson against #11 Emory and Henry in a battle of pair-named schools 59-93, and Skidmore covered at home against fellow sim Case Western.

GotN#11 Emory and Henry (24-1)(meme4574) at Lynchburg (21-4)(barney1974)
Emory and Henry will try to finish off the conference schedule undefeated and fend off Lynchburg for sole possession of first place in the division. Lynchburg sits only a game behind in the standings so a win here will get them a season split with Emory and Henry and a share of the conference title.

Also considered: #1 Millsaps at Emory, #2 Greensboro at Christopher Newport, Marietta at #8 John Carroll, Emmanuel at #17 Johnson and Wales, and Wooster at Ohio Wesleyan

Sim blowout watch: Sim blowout favorite Juniata looks to complete an impressive winless season and is getting 76 points when they visit #7 Elizabethtown (maybe I should've made this game of the night) and Worcester St. is a 69 point road dog at #12 Tufts.

Last Night#16 Emory and Henry 71 #22 Lynchburg 81
The home team scored the first point of the game and never looked back running out to a 16 point lead at the half, winning the game by 10. Lynchburg and barney got 22 points from Logan Marshall to ruin Emory and Henry's perfect conference run and snag a share of the conference title. Emory and Henry and meme suffered their first conference loss but still held on to the #1 seed in the conference tourney thanks to the better overall record.

Also considered: #1 Millsaps ended their conference schedule in style by cruising past Emory 65-49, #2 Greensboro finished perfect in conference after handling Christopher Newport 70-55, #7 John Carroll did the same against Marietta 83-73, #14 Johnson and Wales ran away from Emmanuel 77-58, and #23 Wooster passed Ohio Wesleyan for the conference tourney top seed on the last day thanks to a 77-54 road victory.

Sim blowout watch: Juniata ended the season perfect (in the bad way) by losing once again but covering vs. #8 Elizabethtown 49-102 and Worcester St. didn't score many points but still covered at #12 Tufts 39-86.

Not sure how this format will work in the post-season, but let's give it a shot anyway.

GotNRhodes (16-10)(reisel) vs Louisiana (9-17)(discodave)
Had to search around a bit for a good looking game between humans but I found a few to consider. Rhodes won the only game between these two earlier this season by just one point in OT and that was at Louisiana. The rematch is on a neutral court this time and Louisiana is oddly favored by 2 points when they were getting 2 points at home previously. The odds-makers can't decide which team has the edge so it should be a close one tonight to see who moves on.

Last NightRhodes 55 Louisiana 66
It was a back and forth game until halfway through the second half when Louisiana went on a run to open up a ten point lead. They were then able to maintain that lead and finish off the first round victory. Louisiana and discodave were led by 16 points from Ryan Saragosa and are rewarded with a second round match up with #1 Millsaps. Enjoy your prize. Rhodes and reisel were led in scoring by David Fredericksen who also had 16.

Also considered: Daniel Webster got by Suffolk in the first round of the GNE tourney 82-73 and Palm Beach Atlantic easily handled Chowan 82-53 to setup a second round date with #2 Greensboro

Sim blowout watch: California Lutheran easily covered but still got knocked out of the tourney by Whittier 60-80.

GotNEmory (19-9)(phalla) vs #5 Trinity (23-3)(bobmeyer)
Trinity will be looking to avenge one of their two conference losses this season in a solid quarterfinal match up while Emory could give their NT seeding a boost with another upset victory.

Ohio -- No. 7 John Carroll (whit6r) topped every opponent the OAC could throw at him, winning by two games. Five straight banners for JC.

ODAC -- No. 16 Emory and Henry (memem4574) and No. 21 Lynchburg (barney1974) have to go share-sies after splitting their regular season meetings to both go 15-1 and finish a game up on Virginia Wesleyan. For those who hate ties, Lynchburg was +6 on score differential vs. Emory and Henry.

Penn -- Cabrini (Sim AI) went 14-2 and finishes two in front of simmed Marywood. After two years off, Cabrini's back on top.

rednu might be too humble to brag, but I'd like to point out that he successfully picked 22 of 32 conference leaders. 3 others at least won their division, 6 finished in second place, and only 1 of his picks finished in third or worse. Solid prediction performance right there. Not nearly as good as me though, I didn't post mine anywhere but I got all 32 correct. Just trust me.

Posted by pseudochamp on 6/13/2013 11:14:00 PM (view original):rednu might be too humble to brag, but I'd like to point out that he successfully picked 22 of 32 conference leaders. 3 others at least won their division, 6 finished in second place, and only 1 of his picks finished in third or worse. Solid prediction performance right there. Not nearly as good as me though, I didn't post mine anywhere but I got all 32 correct. Just trust me.

And for a change, I actually got the Wisconsin winner correct. That doesn't happen very often...probably because by the time I get around to evaluating them, I'm so blind on numbers I'm seeing double and incapable of basic math.